WE WILL FORM A GOVERNMENT THAT UNITES TRIBES
THE WEEK India|February 26, 2023
INTERVIEW - Mukul Sangma, opposition leader, Meghalaya
RABI BANERJEE
WE WILL FORM A GOVERNMENT THAT UNITES TRIBES

A DOCTOR BY training, Mukul Sangma was chief minister of Meghalaya from 2010 to 2018. He quit the Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021.

Mukul is known to be a good singer and is a Kishore Kumar fan. His father belongs to the Garo tribe and his mother is a Bengali Muslim from Assam. As opposition leader, he hopes to lead the Trinamool to its first election victory in the northeast.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ Five years ago, I saw you singing a Kishore Kumar song during an election campaign. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was with you, smiling. And now you are in the Trinamool. What happened?

A/ See, the purpose of life is to serve people. God has given me a life to serve people as a doctor and elected representative. When the election result was out in 2018, the Congress was the single largest party, and I was looking for [the party leadership in] Delhi to intervene so that a government could be formed to check the BJP. But they remained silent. It was pathetic.

This story is from the February 26, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 26, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEK INDIAView All
Use multi-asset investing to overcome portfolio volatility
THE WEEK India

Use multi-asset investing to overcome portfolio volatility

EQUITY MARKETS have been choppy during this year. After rallying for the better part of the first nine months of 2024, equities corrected sharply in October and November, before taking off once again on rally mode in December.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 23, 2025
Twist of faith
THE WEEK India

Twist of faith

Upamanyu Chatterjee is back with his wry sense of humour in his new novel, and most of it is directed at religion and spirituality

time-read
4 mins  |
February 23, 2025
THE GLORY OF SARI
THE WEEK India

THE GLORY OF SARI

Saris of Memory weaves together history and textiles, highlighting key moments from the author's collection

time-read
4 mins  |
February 23, 2025
We win together
THE WEEK India

We win together

We invented chess, which was pretty cool of us. The original game 'chaturanga'that is four divisions (infantry, cavalry, elephantry and chariotry)-was a war strategy game. When the game travelled to the Middle East, they mangled the Sanskrit and it ended up being called 'shatranj' instead.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 23, 2025
BEATS THAT HEAL
THE WEEK India

BEATS THAT HEAL

Music ignites the light within us, says Grammy-winner Chandrika Tandon

time-read
5 mins  |
February 23, 2025
Older, smarter, sexier
THE WEEK India

Older, smarter, sexier

Those who worship him regardless of where he works have continued to do so. Such is the power of Alessandro Michele, that after being the face of some mega brands for 10 years (namely Gucci and now Valentino), he remains bigger than the labels themselves. His debut collection for Valentino was presented at the recent Paris Haute Couture Week, and it has been adored by his adorers.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 23, 2025
The road to peace
THE WEEK India

The road to peace

Future political dialogues should explore means of ensuring a more robust autonomy to tribal communities

time-read
3 mins  |
February 23, 2025
Diary of a Sherpa
THE WEEK India

Diary of a Sherpa

Amitabh Kant's new book is a comprehensive account of the G20 Summit held in Delhi in 2023

time-read
2 mins  |
February 23, 2025
The annoying orange
THE WEEK India

The annoying orange

Everything is great. All is sunshine. I am an eternal optimist.\" It's the fad of our TikTok times everything is not great, the sun sets daily, nothing is eternal. If anything, everything is ephemeral, night brings darkness, and optimism often crumbles under the weight of history. British philosopher Roger Scruton warned: \"Hope untempered by the evidence of history is a dangerous asset, one that threatens not only those who embrace it, but all those within range of their illusions.\"

time-read
2 mins  |
February 23, 2025
NO SEAT, YET UPBEAT
THE WEEK India

NO SEAT, YET UPBEAT

The Congress is buoyed by its increased vote share in Delhi, and feels it can push the AAP into further decline

time-read
3 mins  |
February 23, 2025